Broken Links
by adriatic-air
Summary: It is a new age, and Sasuke is the Prince of the Northern Empire. Naruto is the leader of a group of people living in the last free land on the planet. What happens when they clash? Set in Naruto-verse, years after the anime/manga. Eventual SasuNaru
1. Prologue

**Broken Links **

**Prologue **

"Sasuke-sama," came a quiet whisper from behind the closed door. "Kakashi-san is here to see you."

After a great pause, there finally was a reply.

"I will see him later."

_I will see him later._ There was almost no expression left in that voice, but every soul living in the Northern Empire knew the words were not to be defied. More directly, they were quite certain death would come swiftly to claim those who dared to defy them. The Prince's temper nowadays was unpredictable and often explosive.

It was chilling, how sudden the Prince had undergone his transformation. There used to be a time when the Prince's voice, though characteristically monotonous, had carried underlying traces of emotions. That had been a time when the people saw him regularly, too.

Of late, however, during the few times his voice issued from the crack between his door and the wall, it always sounded dead and hollow. Empty. Surely the fact that it had changed boded evil.

The servant turned away timidly from the ominous closed door. He didn't know why they bothered getting him to transmit messages anymore, since Sasuke-sama had been answering in the negative for a very long time.

Every time he did, a small part of the servant wanted to scream.

The servant's sandaled feet made little noise as he scurried down the hallway, following the navy blue carpeting which decorated the otherwise cold marble floor. His heart thumped loudly within his chest. Conversations with Sasuke-sama, regardless how short, never failed to cause some panicky reaction within him. During the times he stood behind the closed door, he experienced adrenaline rushes, nausea, and sometimes even severe dizziness. Sasuke-sama seemed to wield some power over his emotions somehow.

It was very odd, although he knew he was not alone in his suffering. From what he'd heard, the other servants also experienced some form of heightened anxiety whenever they had contact with Sasuke-sama, or if they passed near by to him. Only the people close to Sasuke-sama, the incidentally powerful individuals, seemed to be immune.

The servant reached the end of the hallway, coming out under a lighted archway to where Kakashi, flanked by his two immense bodyguards, stood. In his own way, Kakashi was intimidating too. Perhaps it was how he stood and the posture he adapted, or how his face was constantly masked, or it could have been his sheer height. Yet Kakashi, despite his looks, was always unfailingly polite to the servants, and treated them all with respect.

The servant had no idea what to make of his behavior.

"Sasuke-sama will see you later," he said to the tall man, keeping his head bowed. He didn't dare look up to see Kakashi's expression. The masked features were quite terrifying.

Kakashi wasn't surprised. Sasuke liked to do things in his own time, delighted in having his own schedule, and hated it when people sprung surprise visits on him. However, this was the sixth consecutive day Kakashi had sent the same message to Sasuke via the same servant. It should have given Sasuke ample time to alter his schedule and squeeze in a meeting with Kakashi.

Kakashi frowned slightly, and then was suddenly aware of the servant still bowed before him, trembling slightly.

He didn't like the way the servants quivered in fear when they stood before him, but perhaps it was understandable now since this one had just visited Sasuke. The quivers grew stronger. Poor guy. It shouldn't be right, scaring innocent humans to such a state. Kakashi needed to talk to Sasuke about various matters, one of which was masking his extremely obvious and menacing killing intent. The whole place reeked of it, and everyone within two feet of Sasuke became jumpy and nervous.

"You may go," he said to the servant. Kakashi didn't need to look down to know that he was already gone. Kakashi suddenly felt lonely. This was in spite of the fact that his two bodyguards, Tak and Leo, were just behind him and sniggering loudly.

Sadly enough, all the energy that was used to developing their muscles had somewhat compromised their brain growth.

"HAHAHA, man did you see that guy?" Tak guffawed loudly.

"He was shitting his pants!" Leo guffawed louder.

"I could smell it too!" Tak sniggered.

"I could _hear_ it!" Leo snickered back.

And it went on. Kakashi groaned inwardly, then proceeded to block out the noise. It wasn't like he needed the both of them around him, obviously. He would much rather have preferred to be alone. Their presence was some sort of 'precautionary measure' as Sasuke put it, or decorative purpose, and their main job was to test his food for poison. It was absurd.

Nevertheless, he had agreed to the whole cumbersome arrangement of food testing to please Sasuke. It seemed that everything Kakashi did now was to please Sasuke in some way, shape or form. However, when it came to the actual process of fighting and protecting, the two bodyguards knew very well to stay out of the way. Kakashi considered it a hideous insult to his abilities if anyone so much as moved to 'save' him from any attack, though the last one he had been caught up in occurred one year ago and consisted of a servant accidentally flicking a pair of chopsticks in his direction. Kakashi had caught them easily with two fingers and then thrown them into the front pocket of the servant's apron, all without looking up from his meal.

Piece of cake.

Kakashi's life, once filled with death-defying excitement, had officially gone stale. He was without a doubt, well known for his supreme abilities, but these could only be unleashed on the battlefield. Their last battle at Wind Country had been over sixteen months ago, with the Northern Empire having emerged victorious. With Sasuke at the head, there was no one, no country and no land which could possibly stand in the way.

The Northern Empire had, over the years, amassed an immense fighting power, mainly through the invention of New Age artillery and machinery, such as tanks, airships and battleships of gigantic proportion. These, when combined with the elite ninja skills and newly developed 'killing' techniques, were practically unstoppable in every country.

Only one person had been capable of such an invasion, and he was none other than Kakashi's old pupil and current Prince of the Northern Empire, Uchiha Sasuke.

Uchiha Sasuke had been a child prodigy if there ever was one. Kakashi had known it the first time he laid his eyes on the youth, the boy in question being only twelve years old at the time. He had been strangely attracted to him ever since. Now, twelve years later, Sasuke had still the same determined light in his eyes, which Kakashi never tired of seeing. Those eyes which saw what most others couldn't see.

It was the way Sasuke saw things. The youth was capable of great deeds, which would go down in history in the years to come, and still he remained grounded and practical. By learning his limits, weaknesses and strengths well, it ensured his success wherever he went. Yet he remained constantly unsatisfied. Those were small successes.

Sasuke was known to look at the bigger picture.

And Sasuke's ultimate goal, the bigger picture, was not complete. There was one obstacle left.

It was the final obstacle. The empire was infallible now, with every part of the map under its control, all except for one portion. It was like a thorn in the flesh, but sixteen long months had passed, and nothing had yet been done to remove it.

The Prince was, simply put, avoiding it.

After the last great country, Wind's fall, Sasuke seemed to lose all interest in conquest, and had concentrated efforts in wiping out rebel colonies and anti-empire activists who were present in the old Earth and Lightning, now part of the Northern Empire. In these sixteen months, he had managed to track and bring down a few of the key leaders in the groups. After that, they didn't bother him anymore, and he had just recently set his sights on looking over the construction of his new kingdom, as well as the order and the ruling of his people.

All while he did this, a nagging concern tugged at the back of his mind.

The Prince needed every tiny detail under his control. His vision for a city filled with machines and immaculate buildings, perfect order and peace was taking its first steps to being fulfilled.

Unfortunately one part of the world still did not belong to him, to the Northern Empire. War hadn't been declared on the southern lands yet. And Kakashi could understand perfectly why it hadn't. That place was special. It was different, which would explain why Sasuke refused to touch it. Of course that place had been very much affected by the ongoing wars between the surrounding countries, but as of now it still remained free of the clutches of the Northern Empire…

Kakashi was sure it would be only be a matter of time before it was defeated.

A matter of time. But Kakashi wondered at the length. How long was Sasuke going to let it stay the way it was? It wasn't like him to abandon a goal. And sixteen months were already too long… it was getting unhealthy.

Kakashi sighed. He would like to see Sasuke soon. He missed the young man; Sasuke hadn't poked his head out of his room for at least a month, choosing to relay his orders through his personal guard. But even they hadn't been anything of importance for some time now. In fact, they'd stopped coming. In Sasuke's continued absence, the running of the empire had been entrusted to his next in command, Suigetsu, for a yet undefined period of time. Suigetsu was a powerful, intelligent and loyal individual, but he was nothing like Sasuke.

There wasn't anyone in the Northern Empire who could replace Sasuke.

Kakashi needed to see Sasuke in his rightful place.

So he wasn't standing for any kind 'Sasuke-sama will see you later' crap. He was going to see Sasuke right this very moment.

**-To be continued-**


	2. Chapter 1: A Troubled Prince

**Warning**: There is a bit of KakaSasu in here, but this will eventually become SasuNaru.  
**A/N:** Reviews would be lovely.

* * *

**Chapter 1: A Troubled Prince**

The air was cool, dark and silent.

Sasuke stood motionless by the edge of the long glass-paned window, looking down on his newly founded empire. It stretched far into distance, extending many miles further than his vision could reach.

It was late evening, and faint peeks of the setting sun bathed workers and machinery in a dull pink glow. From Sasuke's vantage point, as he gazed down from the highest tower in the palace, they looked like tiny silhouettes toiling to a tune, and an ideal he had created.

A formidable kingdom was in the making.

The image soothed him somewhat, momentarily dispelling what had been on his mind for the past few weeks. Allowing himself to forget his troubles for the moment, he let his gaze travel into the distance.

The furthest he could see to his right were vast, arid lands, which represented what used to be Wind Country before. There, the civilians' well being had been taken care of, and a year after the war, their lives had almost gone back to normal. Construction of the city center was soon to be complete.

His capital, and the palace he resided in, was located in the central, Fire Country of the old. Due to war and a good number of careful reasons, the original population of Fire Country did not live here any longer, having migrated to Tea and Sea, further down south of Fire. When Sasuke's Northern Empire Army had reached Fire two years back, the place and environs were already greatly changed beyond his recognition.

The impressive hokage faces etched in mountain rock, one of the few things from Konoha Sasuke still remembered vividly in his mind, had been obliterated.

A landmark meant to remain for time immemorial was gone. Sasuke had felt a strange and unwelcome relief from the fact. He'd found it easier to wipe out the last remnants of Fire with his new army, knowing that.

Now, Fire sported a new look, a look completely alien to the ninja era.

Old-fashioned architecture and ancient landmarks of wood and stone were demolished and replaced with metal, glass and marble. Impossibly even, impeccable concrete streets paved the old ways of cobblestones and dirt. Buildings were precisely rectangular blocks, each level being exactly the same size as the next. There were no stairs, but elevators were everywhere. Designs, names, words, signposts were nonexistent. Each way a person looked, the highly reflective surface of a nondescript glass building winked in the sunlight.

The people were slowly getting used to his city. And there were many others who didn't want it any other way.

Sasuke's face broke into a faint smile.

His new empire was ideal for the world. He could see clearly that the strength of machines _was_ the future. Ninjas and hidden villages held no power. Jutsus had their strengths, but they also possessed infinite weaknesses, like the fact that their energies originated within the human ninja himself. The major flaw was that humans were not perfect, unlike machines.

In a long, cold and hard war, they lost terribly.

With his strength and his skill he would create a new era; with it would be the rise of the machines. Ninja techniques would be developed more mechanically and modified to his liking. And the enormous range of techniques already existing needed refining to increase efficiency for specific purposes. Sasuke wanted things to be planned and arranged, such that each person in his city would have a meaning to his life, contributing to the existence of his empire.

Only he was capable of changing the world.

Agonizingly, not all of the world was in his clutches yet. Directly southwards was a place that remained free due to his choice. Why did he choose to leave it to till last? Why was it still unmarred? Those were very good questions… and ones he wanted to ask himself. The answers lay buried and trapped deep within the confines of his heart. Dangerous memories threatened to flood him…

but they didn't come.

The wall in his mind that he had perfected over the years stood. He had become too used to blocking out that part of his history. Not thinking about it was an automatic reflex.

Sasuke simply couldn't bring himself to invade that place. Doing so would allow those memories to resurface, and what would become of him then? He'd come so far only because he'd staunchly, forcefully expelled his past from his mind.

_If it all came back… all would be for naught._He was at an impasse.

The last beams of the setting sun faded from view, and the stars slowly came alive in the sky. The room grew steadily darker. Sasuke stared unmoving at the glass pane of his window, where his reflection was visible against the black night sky.

For a split second, it leapt out at him in a way that made him feel suddenly uncomfortable.

When had his skin taken on that grayish pale shade? It was the very tone of sickness and death. And his eyes… they looked black and lifeless, almost like those of a dead insect. And for his face, it was as expressive as a mummified corpse. He didn't even look ill. He was beyond looking ill.

Perhaps he was insane.

That made sense.

If so, then this insanity had scarred him so deeply and completely he wasn't even aware of it. It had seeped in gradually as the years passed. If he really thought about it, it could have started when he first set out to conquer the main countries of the world. He didn't think he was quite himself at that time.

Or it could have been earlier, during the time he avenged his dead clan, and afterwards, felt the agony of being more truly alone in the world than he'd ever imagined. Oh, that loneliness was unforgettable; it had been a long and painful and terrible one.

But he got over it, anyway.

No, it had to have happened ages before that. Years and years ago it seemed… during the short period of his later childhood, when he had done it. The act which broke his mind. It had been something purely selfish and impulsive on his part, and he'd paid for it with the consequences. A not quite sane mind, and haunting memories locked up inside… After all, it had been an unforgivable, yet inevitable act…

Sasuke's brain closed up fast, like a clasp that had just been fastened in place, before he could be flooded with the deluge of memories. Preventing him from getting hurt again.

An agonizing pain numbed his mind. He remained eerily calm and still, absorbing it like it was welcome relief from something much worse. Days could have passed while he was in this state, for all he knew.

Insane or no, this was what he had forced himself to become.

It was who he was. And it was good. It was the path he had chosen, and he would embrace it. Physical pain meant little, when it was infinitely better than other sorts of pain. Especially those hurting close to the region of his heart. As his mind barrier was perfected, his heart hardened further into something akin to stone. Feelings no longer bothered him.

Just the way he liked it.

Abruptly, footsteps were heard along the hallway. Sasuke's ears tuned in to the outside world at once, focusing on them. Quick and heavy, the footsteps were ridiculously easy for him to catch. They stopped outside his door to his mild annoyance, so that he had to answer the faint knock. It was no one of great importance, a simple manservant.

He answered carelessly, faintly disappointed but not caring why. Sasuke was in no mood to entertain humans in any case. Suigetsu was put in charge for a purpose, and the purpose was to give Sasuke personal time. He had some very important thinking that needed to be done at the moment.

Sasuke decided the next person to disturb his peace was going to regret he ever lived.

He resumed his place by the window, and fell to contemplating the faint constellations in the black night sky. Seconds passed. Minutes. Or maybe hours. What was certain was that he made his final conclusion then. And as he did, the indecision, which had been plaguing him for the past weeks, disappeared. All was profoundly simple suddenly.

His brain cleared. He could finally move on.

It was then that he registered another presence in his room. Instinctually, he let loose six tiny shuriken, which missed their target and embedded themselves deeply in the door. Said target had moved speedily out of the way to avoid them. Sasuke was about to launch into another attack when he recognized the intruder.

Kakashi.

He couldn't believe it. Anyone else would have been lying in their own blood, most probably dead by now. Sasuke constantly kept at least twenty shurikens on his person, even if he looked weaponless. And he could have, without a doubt, killed in many other different ways without one. He felt slightly put off.

"You're lucky to still be alive, Kakashi," Sasuke said. It was partly a warning. "How long have you been standing there?"

Kakashi didn't say a word. He just looked at him. As usual, the man's face was partially covered by a dark mask, so his features remained distinctly unreadable. He stood in the darkened portion of the room, where the light didn't reach him and the shadows enveloped his form. Somehow, he managed to appear utterly detached from the present, even if he was standing only a few feet away from Sasuke.

His habits had not changed at all. One of them was not speaking up when he was spoken too, and the other was appearing out of thin air. Sasuke decided to await his reply with a certain amount of patience, as well as the reason for his sudden appearance.

A long, immense moment passed. Kakashi could be very stubborn if he wanted to.

And sometimes he just liked to stare.

If only Sasuke could imagine what the man was thinking.

Kakashi loved to stare at Sasuke for hours on end, quietly, unblinkingly, with not a sound escaping his lips. He never grew tired of this, looking at Sasuke. Instead, his frequent habit evolved to a hobby. And it all had to do with the object of his affections, of course.

Something about the way Sasuke was so oblivious at times.

Sasuke, Prince of the Northern Empire, was never fully aware of the fact that he possessed looks that were so very beautiful. Far more beautiful, in fact, than could be expected of one belonging to the male species. And he hadn't a clue. As a boy he'd seduced his elders, and now, as the master of them all, his charm was even more dangerous and infallible than ever. He never learnt. It was funny, the way he didn't realize this, when he did almost all other things. Sasuke seldom looked in a mirror. He seldom thought about his physical self.

He wasn't one to obsess over anything superficial, actually.

Surely he could not begin to comprehend how much he affected those around him. In his twenty-four years, he'd caused a good many to fall madly, recklessly and unwisely in love with him. And Kakashi had to watch him turn them away carelessly, coldly, saying the same words each time. It had never been his intention in the first place. They must stop behaving in this way. What was wrong with them? If they insisted on going after him, he would find someone to replace them.

Oh, he was such an innocent heartbreaker! His attractiveness was never a deliberate weapon, yet it was deadlier than all the venom existing in the world.

In Kakashi's many long years of knowing Sasuke, the young man's face had not taken on much change. Gazing at it now, it remained the face of a boy he had first beheld twelve years ago, and had gradually come to love in later months. Its shape had grown leaner as time went by, as Sasuke's weariness with life caught up with him, but that was only to be expected. And now his cheekbones stood out more prominently than ever, though these only made his face more exquisite and fascinating. As for his lovely, deep eyes, they were still twin masses of quiet mystery in his fair face, and the hair that fell softly over them and capped his head luxuriously was midnight black. Lastly there was his alluring ivory skin, the chief glory, which so many lusted after… even Kakashi could not deny he was one of them.

Sasuke was indeed a fine Prince.

But looks aside, Kakashi was worried for him. Sasuke's state of mind definitely took precedence.

He found his tongue at last.

"Sasuke, is there something behind this fearsome and huge killing intent of yours?" he asked mildly. Sasuke was a vision, but he was also a vision letting off a dangerous, unholy vibe. It was so strong it made even Kakashi, a man of substantial powers, feel uneasy. This had to stop. Kakashi could only imagine what the other servants had been through these past few weeks. He was sure it had been hell. Waiting on someone like Sasuke was not a matter to be laughed at.

Sasuke didn't reply straight away.

He looked at Kakashi for a short while, face guarded. When he spoke, the words were infused with a tinge of steel. "Why don't you tell me?" His features were calm, just like the stillness of the sea before a storm. Suddenly Kakashi could bear the distance between them no longer.

He made a conscious decision to move, and the next moment, he was standing in front of his old pupil, clothes settling faintly.

"I know what you're thinking," he said seriously. His breath stirred the black tendrils at the crown of the dark head.

Sasuke stood absolutely still, and then he drew in a long, shuddering breath, as if to clear his head. Sasuke had never been used to proximity. It was one of his endearing traits.

And at the sight of Sasuke, so near and yet so distant, looking so damn gorgeous in his mute silence, Kakashi couldn't restrain himself any longer. Removing his mask in one swift motion, he dipped his head down to nuzzle the warm, creamy skin at the collarbone, delighting in breathing in the scent that was Sasuke, and Sasuke only.

He had truly missed him.

Sasuke closed his eyes, reveling in the soft touch. It was only Kakashi, his constant, wise companion, who was allowed this kind of rare intimacy. Kakashi, who knew virtually everything there was to know about him. The past that Sasuke never ceased fighting to forget was no mystery to Kakashi. And Kakashi was as his unofficial advisor (and General), the only confidant he had, the only person whom he trusted implicitly.

They had been together for as far back as he could remember. There wasn't a time when Kakashi hadn't been there for him during the years in his rise to power. Kakashi was strong. He was always by his side, and he was the closest Sasuke got to loving anyone, after he had abandoned the old dreams and meaningless relationships.

His breath shivered slightly, even as he felt himself relax. "I don't doubt it, Kakashi."

Kakashi didn't move from where he was. Embracing this exquisite, powerful creature in his arms, being allowed to caress the smooth, white skin, to inhale the scent of one so young and gifted… It was enough to make any saner being go mad. This was something he had been waiting for, for so long, so very long… I

nstinctively, he cursed his rash impulse.

It wasn't right. Hadn't he said that to himself a million times before? He shouldn't think of Sasuke this way. Sasuke was too young for him, and too inexperienced in matters of the heart, and most importantly, Sasuke belonged entirely to someone else. He didn't think anybody knew, and true enough no one else guessed, but it was Kakashi they were talking about here, and Kakashi knew him even better than Sasuke knew himself.

And then Kakashi realized he couldn't stop himself saying it. "I know, Sasuke. You're thinking of something that should never have been erased from that clever mind of yours in the first place."

At his words, Sasuke stilled. He felt his heart literally miss a beat.

He pushed away from Kakashi a little more violently than he meant to, and glared into the eyes of the man before him, alive as he hadn't felt in days. And to think, only moments before, he'd thought he looked dead and lifeless.

"What is it? What do you mean to say?" Sasuke demanded, the cool tones slipping from his voice.

Kakashi looked amused at his reaction. It was impossible to know what he was thinking. He was such an impossible _man_! It made Sasuke fume. And then he realized Kakashi was talking on, in his usual authoritative manner.

"Sasuke, we can't stay stagnant forever. Both you and I know that. You have had more than a year to think through this. Any longer, and you'll go mad. It's time you decided. Either move southwards to extend this wonderful empire of yours such that it occupies all the areas on the map, or make peace with the remaining lands," Kakashi said. He paused, letting the words sink into the young man before him.

"Otherwise, we might come to regret leaving them alone. Time breeds evil."

His words seemed to echo hollowly as Sasuke stared at him.

Kakashi waited.

Then Sasuke reached out in a motion too quick for him to catch, wrapping his arms around the taller man's neck in a tight embrace. Tiptoeing slightly, he brought his mouth to Kakashi's ear, where he whispered, "I'll have you know, I made this decision long before you even stepped into the room."

Releasing his hold and retreating a respectful distance so that Kakashi could not reach out for him, Sasuke's tone turned formal. "General Hatake, we will commence attack on Tea Country in two days, moving in by the land route. You will be coming with me this time. Prepare for battle."

Kakashi's face was impassive throughout all this.

Turning to gaze upon his immense empire, Sasuke said, "Inform Suigetsu immediately of his new orders as army general. And have my office know, I will resume my position tomorrow."

Kakashi looked at Sasuke's back. These days, Sasuke looked and acted more like his brother. It was uncanny, that he came to loathe a person whom he resembled so much, in so many ways, big and little. Well, what was past was past. Itachi would never come back, and Kakashi was only concerned with the future. Truth be told, he was very concerned with what the future might hold for his dear Prince of the Northern Empire, and whether he had the strength enough to deal with it.

But perhaps he would leave things as they were today. Sasuke had come back to the world of the living, and that was enough. The problems he foresaw could wait another night.

"Very well, my Prince," Kakashi said, and he left the room.

The tears standing in the black eyes were left unshed.

**-To be continued-**


	3. Chapter 2: A Different Life

**Chapter 2: A Different Life**

"Naruto, you idiot, you're making a racket!" Sakura Haruno hissed through her teeth, as she crouched in the dense undergrowth of the forest. Naruto Uzumaki, her best friend and current hunting-partner, had tried to move from his position stealthily towards the target, but had unfortunately stepped on a dry twig in the process, causing it to snap with a loud crack.

"Sorry," Naruto whispered back. He usually wasn't so careless, but there happened to be a lot on his mind today.

In the middle of the clearing, the target's ears perked up, and its eyes scanned the surroundings warily. It had heard voices. It tensed, ready to run at any moment.

"Will you guys stop talking!" Kiba Inuzuka whined. Loudly. After all, those two had probably scared the target away. Why should he bother keeping quiet when _they _didn't?

The target bolted.

"Now you've done it." Sakura grumbled, jumping from her position on the ground. There was no point hiding anymore, since Kiba had so kindly given them away. From the corner of her eye, she saw Kiba and Naruto sprinting towards the target, just like her.

This time round, the target was a fast runner. That was why Naruto had proposed a stealth attack, so as to take it by surprise and save the running time. It was only the first hunt of the day, and they had a whole _troupe_ to feed! Abruptly, Naruto stopped in his tracks, signaling both Kiba and Sakura to stop too.

Naruto then nodded at Sakura, who understood immediately. Balling up her fist, she concentrated as much chakra as she could into it, then slammed it into the forest floor before her, releasing the pent-up chakra at the same time. A large crack emerged, stretching from the base of her foot all the way to the deer running ahead and beyond.

The poor animal tripped as the ground beneath it gave way, and fell on its side, helpless. Naruto and Kiba were on it in a flash, with Kiba whipping out a kunai and slitting its throat.

"One down, nine to go," Kiba said savagely.

"Let's not waste time, then." Naruto hoisted the dead deer onto his back. "We have people to feed." The other two didn't need telling twice. All three took off again, jumping from tree to tree at breakneck speed as they tried to spot their next target.

The trees flashed past in a blur as Naruto sped ahead. He, Sakura and Kiba had agreed to split up so as to save time. It was getting late, and they didn't want to let the civilians go hungry. So right now, he was alone. Not a good thing. Nothing bad was going to happen, but Naruto was finding it especially hard to concentrate on the hunt today.

It was one of those days when he just felt that he wasn't accomplishing anything for himself or the people he cared about. It'd been four – no five years already, since the siege of Konoha, and the day the people had been driven from their homeland. Or rather, what was left of the people had been driven from their homeland. Fire Country was no more. Only a measly fraction of its population was still alive. The greatest country of the Five Great Shinobi countries was gone, torn apart by countless wars and social unrest.

Naruto, like any other typical Konoha shinobi, had grown up to love Konoha, to live for Konoha and breathe for Konoha. With it gone, it was like part of him was gone too. These past five years, he and the remaining friends that had escaped with him and their lives struggled to survive as best as they could, as well as keep the remains of Konoha alive.

It was the least they could do. But it wasn't much. If there weren't so many people depending on him for their survival, Naruto might have completely and utterly given himself up to grief. Well, that and the fact that Naruto didn't normally like to give up or give in to anything, not even to his own emotions.

It was in his nature to make the best of everything, in any given situation.

Naruto smirked as he saw another deer come into view. Time to get cracking. He had to get more kills than Kiba this time, or the brunette would never let him hear the end of it.

* * *

"Aw, you guys could have skinned them first!" Chouji Akimichi grumbled loudly.

It was only natural that the rotund redhead was put in charge of the kitchens, or rather the food, since there were no kitchens out in the open. He had the biggest appetite amongst all of them, as well as the most patience to deal with cooking. And they needed a shinobi to be in charge of cooking, because then the food could be cooked at a much faster rate.

The other shinobis hadn't been adequate. Perhaps it was due to their shinobi training, or maybe they were just all lacking in the culinary department. Ino, who was put in charge at the beginning, was so reckless and impatient that they'd had to deal with burnt or half-cooked food most of the time.

As for Sakura, no one dared to let her handle anything edible since the last time they'd sampled her curry. It was weird how she could prepare truly magical medicinal remedies, and yet fail so thoroughly when it came to food.

The other guys were out of the question, so that left Chouji. To be fair, the rest did hunting and patrolling. Although those were admittedly tougher jobs, every one appreciated a good, hearty meal at the end of a long day. And so, they were grateful to Chouji.

"Do you have any idea how _difficult_ it was just to get ten deer in one day while you sat on your fat behind doing nothing at all?" Kiba asked, waving his hands at the heap of carcasses.

Naruto and Sakura leapt at Chouji and pulled him away from Kiba, as the redhead made strangling motions in the air. "Let me go! Let be go! He mentioned the word 'fat'! I'm going to kill him!"

"Stop this, Chouji." Naruto growled, as Kiba stalked away, Chouji still struggling wildly. Despite being a cook, Chouji could be dangerous when let loose. He hadn't lost his touch one bit on the battlefield. Both Naruto and Sakura released him from their grip only when Kiba disappeared out of sight.

"You know he's like this because of what happened to Akamaru," Naruto stated dryly. "You need to be more understanding towards him."

"Yeah, yeah whatever," Chouji grumbled again, seeming to have gotten over the insult. "Still, if he does it one more time…" He turned his back on them, walking towards the pile of deer. "Get lost, the both of you, I can't cook in peace with you two hovering around."

"Yeah okay, Chouji, we wouldn't want to spoil the broth," Naruto called, as he and Sakura left 'the kitchens'.

"I thinking hunting in the forest reminds him of the times he trained with Akamaru," Sakura remarked as she walked beside Naruto, staring worriedly at the blond. "Maybe you should put him fully on patrol duty."

"You know we can't do that! We need Neji's byakugan to look out for enemies when we're not there, and Ino's totally useless when it comes to hunting. She _has_ to stay in patrol. And Kiba can't teach, so he can't take over Lee's job." Naruto scratched his head furiously. He knew about Kiba's problem too, dammit! He just couldn't do anything about it!

Reading Naruto's expression, Sakura wisely kept her mouth shut.

Walking at a leisurely pace, the pair approached the beginning of the Resting Area, where the main bulk of the civilians lived. Numerous tents were pitched all over the grounds, which served as a small domain for each unit or family to sleep.

The people were basically free to do anything they wanted during the day, provided they didn't stray too far from the Resting Area and returned before nightfall. However, most of them chose to stay at their tents, amusing themselves with whatever they could get their hands on.

Naruto and Sakura parted ways as Sakura made her way in the direction of the makeshift school, being the only other shinobi that could teach somewhat effectively. Naruto walked towards his tent. He had a few things to prepare before he headed off for patrol duty.

"Hey Naruto, what's for dinner today!" a young boy called as Naruto walked past the tent the boy was sharing with his parents.

The boy's mother immediately reprimanded him for being rude. "It's Uzumaki-san, not Naruto!" To Naruto, she said, "Please forgive him for being so rude. You must be tired after the hunt."

Naruto grinned and scratched his head. "Actually, Naruto's fine. And we're having deer tonight!"

"_Again_?" the boy pouted. This time, he got a smack from his mother for the remark.

"Stop complaining, Naoto! Naruto-san and his friends have so kindly obtained food for us! Without them, we wouldn't have anything to eat!"

Naruto squatted down next to the boy. "Naoto, was it? What would you like to eat, then? If you don't like deer?"

Naoto frowned. "I don't hate it. But I miss chicken!"

Naruto sighed. "Unfortunately, there aren't any chickens running wild in the forests around here, kiddo. I miss chicken, too. Especially the bits in cup ramen… but that's another story. I'll try my best, though. If ever I see a chicken, I'll catch it and reserve it specially for you. Meanwhile, you'll have to deal with deer. Is that okay?"

"Yup!" Naoto grinned.

"Great." Naruto stood up and ruffled the kid's hair, while his mother smiled at him for placating the boy.

As Naruto turned away from them, the smile dropped right off his face in a flash. He didn't like the way people treated him. In a way, he had gotten what he wanted. Or _used_ to want, anyway. Ever since they'd moved to this place, everyone in the small settlement treated him like their leader, the shinobis included. They trusted his decisions and listened to everything he said. It was like being hokage, except it _wasn't_. It was different. This place wasn't a village, and the people's lives were worse off than before.

Naruto hadn't wanted it to become like this.

He didn't deserve to be looked up to. He didn't, because he couldn't help them gain back what they had in Konoha, no matter how hard he wished he could. He could only protect them as they were now.

* * *

Naruto was only about ten minutes into his patrol duty at the North end when he got an urgent message from Neji Hyuuga, in the West End.

"Guys, there's a huge one coming from the west. I need backup right now, ASAP." Neji's chakra signature said, sounding calm despite its urgency. Naruto wasn't fooled. He could tell the guy was jumpy. Chakra signatures didn't lie.

The chakra message jutsu had been Ino's invention. By forming a complicated blood pact with her, the four guards, namely Naruto in the North, Ino in the South, Kiba in the East and Neji in the West could communicate to each other via chakra any time they wanted. This was a necessary invention against the Monsters, demons which had mysteriously appeared ever since the Northern Empire Army started its conquest.

Naruto had a few suspicions about their emergence, but he had never discussed it with anyone. The vile creatures were dangerous, and the four guards usually fought against them together.

Naruto flew as fast as he could towards Neji's location, hoping he would be in time. When Neji said something was big, it usually was. He wasn't the type to exaggerate. Putting on speed, Naruto emerged from the trees just to Neji's right in a few minutes, and alighted on the branch next to him.

"Neji, what is it?" Naruto asked, breathing harshly.

"Keep your voice down. This one looks like it used to be a giant centipede." Neji stated. "It'll be on us in a few minutes."

Seconds later, Ino alighted on Neji's left. "Kiba's coming soon." She informed them in a whisper. "What is it this time?"

"Giant worm." Naruto muttered.

"Great. I hate creepy –" Ino cut herself off.

There was a rustle of leaves, and the next moment, a huge, elongated, brown slab of muscle with twin blood red eyes had launched itself at the trio. All three of them jumped off the branch in different directions out of the way, putting some distance between themselves and the Monster.

Naruto had landed on a branch further away to observe the Monster. It was something akin to a centipede all right, the million pairs of legs growing from the length of his body told him that. But its skin was covered in ugly brown boils, and weird deformations protruded from its various parts. Like all Monsters, its movements were choppy and erratic, as if it didn't have complete control over its mobility. All in all, it wasn't a pretty sight.

It gave a roar, and all the birds within a ten-meter radius took to the skies in a hurry. Naruto started forming the seals for his kage bunshin, already preparing to form numerous rasengans. Kunais wouldn't even pierce the creature's thick outer covering.

These monsters were brainless, but they were powerful, and fed on anything living in their path. Physical attacks that killed them were the only way to stop them.

Neji had already begun his attack on the Monster, using his hakke hasageki. The numerous blows were delivered at high speed, and were quite effective in causing the monster to be temporarily disoriented. Ino manifested chakra in her legs, and joined him in the onslaught of blows, delivering powerful kicks to its body.

The Monster writhed on the ground, roaring in pain and confusion, trying to slice them with its many claws. Neji and Ino dodged them easily. Poison dripped from its fangs. Naruto surrounded it with approximately a hundred of his kage bunshin, and started forming as many rasengans as he could between them. When these were ready, Ino and Neji jumped back, and Naruto slammed the ransengans into the creature's body, puncturing so many holes in it it started to look like swiss cheese.

A few clones melted at the spray of poison that ejected from the monster's mouth on the impact.

"Guys! I need help here! East End, there's a Monster!" Kiba's chakra signature screamed into Naruto's brain. Shit. Naruto chanced one last glance at the monster as it toppled with a resounding boom to the forest floor, satisfied it'd been defeated.

Then he took off in Kiba's direction, Neji and Ino already ahead of him.

Two monster attacks in a day! Was this a mere coincidence, or was there something more to it? Gritting his teeth, Naruto cursed the Northern Empire to the pits of hell from the bottom of his heart.

**-to be continued-**


	4. Chapter 3: Hidden Knowledge

**Chapter 3: Hidden Knowledge**

Tak and Leo were waiting with extreme stillness outside the door.

They were feeling rather uncomfortable as it were already, and both were suffering from severe headaches, though they had yet to admit it out loud. Tak could feel his head splitting open, and in his cloud of pain he couldn't do anything at all. A short while ago, when out of boredom he had tried to move his arm so he could flex his fingers, the pain had intensified tenfold, causing him to almost pass out.

So right now, he was struck motionless, trying to breathe, but without moving his chest too much.

On the other side of the door, Leo was suffering from a slightly different situation. Like Tak, he was experiencing one of the most agonizing headaches ever, but unlike Tak, he realized he could still think through the pain. Every single inch of his body was warning him that they shouldn't have come here.

He did know of course, that Uchiha-sama was residing in the room, and that was the main problem. As a rule, Leo tried not to bother himself with thoughts of Uchiha-sama, because he was scary, he was terrifying, he was monstrous and he was _inhuman_. It was in the way he stood and walked, and especially the way he spoke, how the quietness of his voice could silence an entire room. Leo had never seen Uchiha-sama fight before, but just glancing at his profile from afar seemed to strike a chord of fear within his bones. He couldn't find the words to explain it, except that he never dared to look at the man for long, for fear that those dreadful eyes would stare straight at him.

He just knew that the day they did, it would signal that his life at an end.

* * *

Kakashi left the room, mask in place and brow furrowed. He was deep in thought, and was actually in the process of stalking off when he realized something was wrong. The unmistakable figures of Tak and Leo were not in his immediate vicinity, as Kakashi was used to. Looking about for his two idiotic bodyguards, he found them lying on the floor, both deeply unconscious.

"Shit."

After standing stock still for a few seconds, he turned quickly and retraced his steps, re-entering the room he had just left. It didn't occur to him that he had to knock. Sasuke had overdone things this time, and Kakashi swore he'd put a stop to it when he visited him tonight. It seemed he needed more direct instructions.

"Sasuke, would you please do something about that ferocious killing intent of yours?"

Kakashi had already finished his sentence when he realized he was speaking to an empty room. Sasuke was gone. The room felt chilly. Oddly, the window was also fully closed. It was only then he realized, rather belatedly, that the unwholesome aura which had been present only moments before had vanished completely from the place. He could not detect any sign of the young man he'd spoken to just minutes before.

Kakashi let out a sigh.

* * *

The night breeze slapped coolly against his skin as he took to the black night skies. His robes were rippled in the gusts of wind as he shot through the air. Sasuke felt free, as free as a stray leaf possibly could feel, caught in a wandering breeze on a bright summer's day. His midnight trips often left him feeling alive again. After cooping himself up in his stuffy room in the palace for endless days and weeks, this jaunt was like a cool drink of water in the middle of a scorching desert.

It wasn't like Sasuke couldn't go out any time he wanted, obviously. He was the Prince of his empire, there wasn't anywhere in the world he couldn't visit as he pleased. It was just – he didn't like to leave things running all by themselves without him around to make sure they were going right.

He'd given himself some time to think things over, let Suigetsu handle the affairs of his empire for awhile, but ultimately, he had still been there. Now that Sasuke's head was clearer in the wake of his decision, he felt really stupid. The answer had been right in front of him all this while. It had been his goal, hadn't it? World domination?

So he'd been simply idiotic to mull things over for so long.

Sasuke had already begun to form a plan of sorts in his head, on how he was going to finish things up. He'd been fantasizing about world domination for years. Imagine, the day when he would finally rule over the entire world. It was a grand thought. As such, he wanted to give the people a Last Battle, a battle with a magnitude like no other, one that would go down in history for being the bloodiest, the cruelest, the goriest. In other words, one that was won with huge machines, lots of gunpowder, and earth-shattering, mind-blowing jutsus would be just about _perfect_.

And so fitting.

And that was why he was going to pay a visit to a certain someone tonight. Or to be precise, two certain someones. The only ones who knew the secret behind his machines. Sasuke smirked, the features of his face twisting in anticipation.

Many thought he'd been the genius behind his wonderful inventions, but they'd thought wrong. Someone else, someone currently in Sasuke's enslavement, had created the wonderful technology.

Orochimaru.

Sasuke's lip curled as he thought of that man. Enslavement was a small price to pay after what he had made Sasuke go through during his teenage years, when he'd been young and vulnerable. He'd been so _obedient_, too. God. Sasuke would never forget the nights he woke up to Orochimaru's snake features,those memories were enough to cause nightmares forever.

Yes, enslavement was definitely a small price to pay after Sasuke realized he'd surpassed his original sensei in terms of taijutsu, ninjutsu and genjutsu. He'd been sorely tempted to kill the bastard right in his own personal chamber in his secret underground liar, but he realized Orochimaru's value. His importance to Sasuke's utlimate scheme.

Among the snake's countless experimental labs which imprisoned humans as lab rats, there were some devoted entirely to the invention of steel machinery and various contraptions.

Sasuke knew he'd hit a gold mine when he stumbled upon one one day. It was perfect, exactly what he was looking for, to take over the world. So Orochimaru had lived, together with his accomplice, Kabuto. The two were responsible for all the weaponry Sasuke's army was using. Or at least, mostly responsible. Sasuke was a genius with the Sharingan, all they did, in the main, was transfer their ideas to him, and he would have his own men re-create what he'd learned.

But the two had to be locked up, for obvious reasons. As far as the rest of the world knew, they were both dead, killed by the Prince himself years ago. Sasuke had to give them a place to live out of the public eye, big enought to store anything they would need for experimentation purposes.

Their abode was an underground fortress. No one except Sasuke went to and fro regularly above and below ground to visit them. It was also built in the last place any one would expect.

The entire capital of the Northern Empire was man-made.

But there was one place Sasuke had decided to preserve in its original form, one which still carried the mark of pure, unsullied nature. Nature was fast disappearing in his growing empire. And Sasuke didn't want to forget it. Part of his brain that told him that he'd grown up and loved a small village called The Leaf, where nature flowed in abundance.

And so, he had preserved the Old Forest. The name was self explanatory, really. Sasuke had decided to keep one of Konoha's old forests on a whim. His ex-country had been a barren wilderness when his army reached it, a sad and broken shell of what it once was. The beauty of its landscape had been marred by dead bodies and bloodied soil.

And out of the desolate, small number forests that remained, Sasuke chose to keep the largest one. He had machines monitoring the growth of the forest, and others to take care of its needs like soil, fertilizer, sunlight, rain, and miscellaneous stuff. And that was where Orochimaru and Kabuto came in. The both of them kept the forest going as they continued with their projects.

Sasuke knew they would be happy to see him now, even if they didn't show it. Loneliness did that to most people.

He arrived at place, and stepped lightly onto the pavement before the entrance to the Old Forest. The plot of living land was enclosed by a tall and durable glass box, spanning its entire length, breath and height. A greenhouse of immense proportions, covering the entire forest. The Prince did not intend to let the wilderness spread to his precious steel empire.

Sasuke waited. An invisible square meter around him was a chakra sensor. It would scan his chakra, and after determining Sasuke to be who he was, Kabuto would open up a glass door in the greenhouse to admit him.

Moments later, Kabuto's voice floated from the microscopic speakers near Sasuke's feet, sounding pleased. "Ah, Sasuke-sama. Welcome back."

"Don't keep me waiting." Sasuke warned.

"Of course not. I am just running a thorough check to ensure you are not some random Sasuke-wannabe kage bunshin."

Sasuke's forehead creased. Kabuto was as insolent as ever, even if he was in Sasuke's enslavement. Like he didn't already know that kage bunshins of Sasuke were against the law. Perhaps it was time to reinforce the jutsu? It wouldn't do for Sasuke to walk straight into an ambush prepared by the two ex-sound nin. He may have been the strongest ninja to ever walk the earth, but fighting Orochimaru and Kabuto would create problems he would rather avoid.

"Scan completed. You are indeed who you say you are. You may enter." Kabuto said smugly.

"I think you should remember that this place belongs to me, and that I have the power to make you very, very miserable if you continue to disrespect me," Sasuke said to the tiny speaker, which fell silent. Kabuto was sulking, but Sasuke wouldn't lose any sleep over that.

He stepped into the glass building, the door sliding noiselessly into place behind him. A blast of humid air and the deafening sound of crickets greeted him. Sasuke spent a few seconds enjoying the fresh air the forest provided, then leaped to the nearest tree branch, using the age-old method of moving through the forest. Focusing chakra to the feet and jumping from tree to tree. Sasuke missed doing this. The wind in his ears and the trees whirring past, it was the very essence of the ninja spirit.

Several minutes later, Sasuke was there.

Right in the heart of the forest was an ancient tree, a tree that had outlived the making of Konoha by centuries. Sasuke stood before it, staring at the tree in concealed awe. He did this all the time. It was _justified_ awe. The tree was enormous; its trunk was at least ten meters in diameter and looked like it actually consisted of several trunks all twisted together. It's roots began a mile off. The tree was the life force of the Old Forest.

It also was the entrance to the underground fortress. Sasuke walked up to a gap in the trunk, wide enough to fit a human, and squeezed himself in. The next moment a trapdoor opened, causing his feet to fall out underneath him, and he hurtled bodily down a dark chute with a whoosh.

Two hundred feet down, to be precise. Sasuke was a paranoid Prince.

Orochimaru and Kabuto were waiting for him at the end of his journey, like they always were. As soon as his feet touched the floor, they sprang eagerly to greet him.

"Well, well, well. Sasuke-sama, welcom back. You look stunning as always," Kabuto declared, his eyes sliding up and down Sasuke's form in appreciation.

"You look absolutely breathtaking," Orochimaru gasped at the same time.

"May I comment on how _beautiful _that black material contrasts with your complexion?" Kabuto asked, stepping closer.

"Black is _definitely _your color," Orochimaru agreed.

Kabuto sighed, closed his eyes, and rounded on Orochimaru. "Stop stealing my words, you pale snake." Kabuto snapped. "Sasuke is mine!"

Orochimaru gave him the middle finger. "Fuck off loser! Sasuke has never shown the slightest interest in you! You're ugly!"

"Well, tough luck for you, cuz you're uglier!" Kabuto snarled.

Sasuke almost cringed. He didn't know which was worse, Kabuto hitting on him, Orochimaru hitting on him, or them fighting over him. His jutsu to make them succumb to his every wish was obviously flawed. But he was a Prince, he didn't have to take any of this.

"Shut the fuck up! Both of you! I need silence to think!"

There was silence. Immediately. Kabuto and Orochimaru were used to Sasuke shouting, but when he got really pissed, it was time to worry about their health.

"Now, about that new gadget. You've been building it here, have you not? I want it ready by tomorrow, no excuses." Sasuke commanded.

"Technically, it's a six-foot auto Blast Tanker with six magma cannons and ten nuclear snipers complete with two caterpillar tracks for rough terrains," Kabuto corrected. "And there still are many errors we have to fix with the shooting precision. It could take months to complete."

Sasuke looked Kabuto in the eye, and his subordinate suddenly felt the world tilt at an impossible angle. "I _said_, I want it by tomorrow." His voice was laced with acid complete with flecks of steel.

"Yes, Sasuke-sama. I'll work on it right away, Sasuke-sama." Kabuto scurried off, his heart beating wildly. For a moment there, he thought he'd seen his life flashing before his eyes.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru was staring wistfully at Sasuke. "Sasuke-sama, is there anything I can do to help you? Will you be staying long tonight?"

"No, I will be leaving shortly." Sasuke said. "Pass me those blueprints."

Orochimaru handed them over. But he wasn't about to give up on Sasuke yet; Kabuto was gone and for once he was alone with Sasuke. It would be so easy to reach out and touch him now, before Sasuke got a chance to break his fingers. Such an opportunity would never come again. Orochimaru decided he better make this good.

Sasuke was studying the blueprints of the new Blast Tanker when he suddenly felt a hand envelope his crotch, and squeeze down slightly. His knees almost buckled then and there. "Stop this right. Now." he said, trying to keep his voice calm and controlled. A pale hand snaked up his waist, and Sasuke forced himself to remain still.

"Now, now Sasuke, you know you want this." Orochimaru said, delightedly.

And Sasuke saw red. This man deserved death a thousand times over, Sasuke had no idea why he'd put up with his existence for so long. Gritting his teeth, he summoned up a sizeable amount of chakra in his right arm, blue sparks forming around his fist. By the time his ex-sensei realized what was happening, it was much too late to flee. With the chirping of a thousand birds, his fist pierced through Orochimaru's flesh, coming out at the other side.

Orochimaru let out a bloodcurdling shriek as blood spattered from the wound onto Sasuke's robes, his robes and the floor. Something squelched nastily as Sasuke ripped his hand from the bloody shoulder and let the man fall to the ground, writhing in pain.

Sasuke surveyed the results of his attack. Not too bad. There was a gaping hole in the pale man's shoulder. Gaping space, to be more apt. The arm was now attached to its body by a few strands of meat. A huge chunk of blood, muscle and bone decorated the once spotless floor.

Sasuke looked down calmly at a screaming Orochimaru. "I thought you would have known better, Orochimaru-_sensei_. I am not the same person I was all those years ago. Perhaps this will teach you a lesson, never to fuck with me again when I say no."

Orochimaru groaned in pain. "Sasuke-sama… please…"

"Kabuto will check back in a few hours, if you're lucky. Be glad you're alive." Sasuke said coldly. Then he was gone, quick as a shadow, silent like the wind.

It was like he was never there.

**-to be continued-**


	5. Chapter 4: Something Amiss

**A/N: Sorry for the long update, to those who care! I've been obsessed with Crunchyroll lately, I have! :maniacal laugh: I have also decided to write out my chapters on paper before typing them out, cuz it flows better that way, so obviously, it's going to take longer. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!!**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Something Amiss**

There it was again.

It was an odd thrumming at the base of his neck, beating a steady rhythm through his brain. It was unnerving. The same thing had happened when Naruto woke up this morning, a while later on when he had been having breakfast and now, it was bothering him in the middle of the afternoon meal. It was like a warning. Something bad was going to happen, Naruto just couldn't figure out what it was.

Like things weren't already bad enough. Kiba had been severely injured from his last fight with one of those Monsters, and they only had one medic nin to spare.

Sakura.

She was a gem, highly skilled and professional in her line of work; her abilities second only to Tsunade back when Konoha was still in existence. But with their limited number of ninjas to go round, even one down was a major blow. Now that Kiba was out of action and Sakura was constantly by his side, Naruto felt the safety of his tiny village rest heavily upon his shoulders.

He let out a heavy sigh. When his soldier's sense told him something was up, it would be wise to be on the alert. Naruto decided he would go visit Kiba one last time before starting on his patrol duty. He knew he'd been giving himself too many excuses to see Kiba recently, even though he would be doing more good elsewhere.

Sakura was getting exasperated, not to mention worried.

But Naruto couldn't help it. He couldn't stop blaming himself for what happened to Kiba. He was the leader and protector of their little community, and look what he'd let one of the Monsters do to his men. Unforgivable. His mistake was unforgivable.

As he came into view of the little medical tent where a huge red cross had been painted on a white banner, a pink-haired kunoichi emerged from the tent flap. She spotted Naruto straight away.

"Naruto…" Sakura spoke his name with a little sigh, a defeated look coming over her face.

Naruto ignored her. He'd heard enough of her lectures lately. He knew she was only worried about him, but he wasn't going to listen to her and stop coming so often. He needed to make sure Kiba was still alive, he needed to know Kiba was still breathing…

"He might not wake up for a long time. You know that, Naruto. There's no point –"

"There is!" Naruto cut in fiercely. "Sakura, don't tell me what to do. I _need_ to spend time around him. My mind can't rest if I don't know he's still with us."

"Naruto…" Sakura reached out a hand and placed it on his shoulder comfortingly. "If anything happens, I swear you'll be the first to know."

"Good to hear," Naruto said, stone-faced, and entered the tent.

As usual, his heart seized up when he saw his friend. Kiba lay on the spotless white bed, eyes closed, and unnaturally still. His face was a pale ashen color. His left arm was gone. But that wasn't the worst. Worst of all, was seeing him with no sign of life in him. Worst of all, was knowing that even _Sakura_ couldn't confirm he'd make it out of this alive.

Naruto dropped into the wooden chair beside Kiba's bed, and fought back tears. Silently, he prayed as hard as he could. That Kiba would get well. That they could go hunting together again. Live life together again.

Sakura stood at the makeshift entrance to the tent, her gaze upon its two occupants. Her heart was twinging terribly, but there was nothing she could do.

"I'm sorry Naruto…" she whispered. "I did all I could, but I guess I'm just not good enough." Then she walked away, because sometimes, even the best ninjas need a good cry.

* * *

Naruto crouched on the highest branches of a tall tree, squinting into the distance. The sun's rays were shining relentlessly down, and sweat was dripping into his eyes, causing them to sting. Naruto rubbed at them furiously. It wouldn't do to be visually-handicapped when one was on look-out duty.

"Naruto. Are you there?" Lee's chakra signature broke the silence.

"Yeah. What's up?" Naruto said, tensing. Lee was Kiba's replacement now, at the East End. They'd scraped the ninja school. It was dangerous times, and education was not a top priority anymore.

"Nothing. There were a few mosquitoes bothering me a while ago, but I managed to snatch them out of the air. I enjoyed squishing them."

Naruto tried very hard to keep himself from exploding. "Be serious, Lee! This isn't a game! The lives of the village are in our hands!"

"Naruto, calm down! I _know_. Just wanted to ask if you were okay."

Naruto sucked in deep breaths of air, let them out slowly, and counted to five. "If you want the straight truth, Lee, the answer is no, I am not okay. Kiba may never wake up. How can I be okay?!"

"Naruto, Gai-sensei once said, we must never give up hope. It's all over when you do."

"Yes," Naruto said bitterly. "And look where that landed him."

Lee didn't reply in a long time. Gai's death had hit him the hardest, and Naruto felt a bit sorry for bringing it up, but right now, he was hurting too much to care. When Lee finally spoke again, he sounded a little subdued.

"Naruto, I'm worried about you. I'm worried for all of us. I don't know how long we can keep this up. It's scary. Heck, _anyone _would be a bit gloomy now. But you, it's you who's got us this far. We believe in you Naruto, so please, for the sake of everyone who does, don't give up. We need you."

He was right of course. They all depended on him. The question was, could they really count on him? What if he couldn't save them? Couldn't protect them? Poor Kiba… Naruto was sure Kiba had been thinking the same thing. The day he almost died, Kiba must have been wondering why they hadn't shown up yet, why Naruto wasn't there, as he fought the creature all alone…

"Naruto, _listen _to me!" Lee's voice interrupted his thoughts.

The fact that it was Lee's physical voice which had cut through the forest air managed to register in Naruto's brain a split second before a kick to his stomach sent him crashing headfirst into a neighboring tree trunk.

Naruto felt the impact first. The pain only came a few seconds later, and then he groaned, feeling the kyuubi's healing power work its way through his body. He was completely stunned. One, Lee had appeared bodily, which meant he'd left his guard position at East End. Two, Lee had hit him. And three, Naruto had _got_ hit. And that hadn't happened since forever. At least, not when the attacker had come charging in straight from the front, without bothering to hide his presence.

"Naruto! What the hell is wrong with you?" Lee was shouting. "Do you really need me to kick the shit out of you before you wake up? Get a grip, man!"

Naruto realized it was the first time he'd heard Lee shouting. With real anger. Slowly, he pulled himself from the wreckage of the tree and stared up at him. Lee was still shouting, but somehow the words never made it into Naruto's brain. It was the expression Lee was wearing. A twisted mix of emotions of anger, desperation, fear and concern. Concern. There was concern in Lee's eyes.

Naruto felt himself sinking to a new low. Now he was even making his own comrade worry about him. How could he?

"Lee." The name forced itself out of his mouth. "What are you… what the hell are you doing here?"

"What does it look like! I'm checking to see if you haven't killed yourself out of depression! Maybe you haven't noticed, but your chakra signature hasn't been normal lately! We've all been worried sick!" Lee was working himself up to a fine rage.

"Really?" Naruto felt oddly detached from his voice.

And then, there it was again. The same odd thrumming sound. Naruto felt goosebumps rise on the back of his neck. This was such bad timing. Here was Lee, come to him for a good shouting match, but it looked like Naruto couldn't stay.

"Honestly! Did you think we all couldn't tell? Ever since Kiba…"

Lee's words were sweeping away into the background like so much white noise and static, only to be replaced by the steady rhythm beating into his head. His conversation with Lee was the last thing on his mind now. Senses sharpened and alert, Naruto turned swiftly to look behind him.

Nothing. Nothing, except for a few leaves swaying from a slight breeze. Naruto couldn't help feeling there _had_ been something.

A few feet away, Lee had phrased some sort of question to him, but Naruto wasn't listening anymore. There was somewhere he needed to go. Without a word, Naruto departed for the far reaches of the forest, leaving a startled Lee behind.

"Naruto! Where do you think you're going?" Lee hollered. But it was no use. The guy was gone in a twinkling, and this time, he'd masked his chakra signature. Lee couldn't get through, all he came up to was a solid wall.

Panicking slightly, he called up Ino and Neji. "Guys. Naruto bolted. I don't know where he's gone."

"You're an idiot, Lee. I told you not to scare him away." Ino's chakra signature came off pissed.

"Stay there, Lee. Watch out if he returns, but don't follow him. We need you here."

"I understand, Neji. I'll be right here. But next time, _you_ go and talk to Naruto. I can't handle him when he's in this state."

Neji didn't reply, and their little group fell silent once more. They didn't say anything, but they were all thinking the same thing. _Naruto had better be alright. _

* * *

Branches, leaves, twigs flew past in little blurs, some of them embedding themselves in his hair, or leaving deep scratches and cuts on his tanned skin. Naruto barely noticed them; in fact he was moving way too fast to notice anything. There was no time for stopping, no time for thinking. All he knew was that he was searching for something.

Something important.

And he couldn't stop now if he wanted to find it.

* * *

"You don't think anything's happened to him, do you?" Ino asked Sakura late one night.

Sakura sat up quickly, heart pounding, pulling the blankets close to her as she looked up at Ino's face through the gap in her tent. "Jesus, Ino. Don't scare me like that."

"Sorry, I thought you were still up. Can I come in?"

"I was, and of course you may."

There was a slight rustling as Ino slipped into the tent, the air suddenly filling with the scent of strawberry shampoo.

"Do you miss Naruto?" Ino asked, settling comfortably on a pile of stray blankets.

"Of course, don't we all." Sakura said, staring at a rip in the canvas material of her tent. She'd have to fix that soon. "I wonder, do you ever run out of that particular shampoo?"

"I have an endless supply," Ino said, flashing her pearly white teeth in the darkness. "You like him, don't you?"

"Now's not the time to discuss such matters," Sakura said dryly. "Actually, I need to go check on Kiba."

"Lee's looking over him tonight. You need some rest, Sakura." Ino said reprovingly. "And now's a good time as any to discuss your feelings for Naruto."

"What do you want to know, Ino? There's nothing I can tell you that you haven't already found out. You know me too well."

"Well, there _is_ one thing," Ino said seriously.

"What?"

"Is Naruto still alive?"

"Of course."

"Good. Because that was all I wanted to know."

"Was there anything else you wanted to know?"

"No. Have a good night, Sakura."

And Ino melted into the darkness outside.

* * *

Seconds, minutes, hours, day flew by. Naruto lost track of time in his crazed, frenzied, endless rush to somewhere. The forest went on for eternity. He'd never been this far from his friends. But it was getting close now, Naruto could tell by the increase in volume of the rapid pounding in his head.

He was near, very near to his goal.

All of a sudden, the scent of blood permeated the air around him. His senses, heightened by Kyuubi's powers, sent the message that blood had been shed to every pore of his being. Naruto slowly drew to a stop. It would be wise to move with lesser speed and more caution from this point on.

He didn't want to miss anything.

The blood scent was getting stronger. Naruto picked up the pace slightly, senses alert to the slightest sound or breath, his night vision scanning the surroundings for any movement or sign… and there it was! The faint pulsing of a chakra signature, not too far away.

Naruto made his way closer to where it was. It wasn't moving, so he assumed it was either sleeping, or resting.

And then he caught sight of it. The body. The exact same moment, a strong wave of the blood scent hit him full in the nostrils, causing him to reel back slightly. It stank. Cautiously, Naruto made his way towards it. The person, whoever it was, had been injured pretty bad. A fatal wound. He was a goner.

Before long, Naruto had come upon the body. He squinted. There was something glinting in the moonlight. He craned his neck forward, trying to see clearly… dammit, why did he have to discover this at night?

A cloud shifted in the sky at that precise moment, letting a stream of moonlight shine through. It was enough. Suddenly, Naruto felt the bile rising in his throat.

A Konoha forehead protector. Identical to the one he himself was wearing right now. Shit.

If Naruto looked closer, he could see that the person wasn't a male, as he'd thought so initially, but a female. Who was it? _Shit, who was this person?_

"Who… who's there?" a voice croaked. A fresh wave of blood poured from the gaping chest wound.

Naruto gasped. No, it couldn't be, oh god, that person couldn't possibly be… "An-Anko?"

"Who's there?" she asked, weakly.

It _was _her. But good lord, what had happened to her? "Anko. It's Naruto. We thought you guys were dead a long time ago." Naruto struggled to keep the tremor from his voice. Things looked very bad.

There was a faint rasping that could have been a laugh. "Naruto? _Naruto?_ That's impossible. We never did find him and the rest of them, did we, Izumo?"

She was delirious. She wouldn't last long. "Anko, who did this to you?" Naruto asked urgently.

She sighed. "Ah, those were the good old days. Remember? With Naruto still around, Konoha still around… remember when Naruto was a kid, Izumo? Remember? He was such an idiot." Anko coughed weakly, flecks of blood dotting the corners of her mouth.

The tears were streaming down Naruto's face now. They wouldn't stop.

"But I always knew he was destined for great things. Now, the other one, the Uchiha, I think I was partially responsible for his defection. I guess I'm paying for it now." She gave a weird laugh. "With my life."

"Anko…" Naruto choked. "Who did this… to you?"

"Silly Izumo, have you forgotten?" Anko laughed again, and this time the blood didn't stop flowing. It was pouring from her mouth, her chest, and everywhere.

"Anko!" Naruto screamed. "_Anko_!"

"Sasuke's army…" she slurred. "About… a day ago."

And she was dead, with blood all down her chin and clothes. Naruto slammed a rasengan into the nearest tree, tears dripping from his chin.

"… That _bastard_…"

**-to be continued-**

**A/N: :3 **


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